Posing As PM Modi's Niece, Woman Dupes Retd Colonel Of Rs 21 Lakh In Varanasi

In a bizarre incident, a woman, posing as the niece of the Prime Minister, duped a retired colonel of Rs 21 lakh after convincing him to invest a certain amount in shares for a huge profit.

In his complaint, the colonel claimed that after he transferred Rs 21 lakh to the bank account of the woman's friend in Jaipur, she stopped responding to his calls.

"Based on a complaint lodged by retired colonel Upendra Raghav of Patel Nagar Colony, an FIR has been filed against a woman named Veronica Modi and Ramesh Sharma under sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of IPC. The investigation into the matter is underway. We have checked the call details and chats between the colonel and the woman, said Inspector, Cantt Police Station, Prabhu Kant.

While narrating his ordeal, the retired colonel said he came in contact with Komal Pandey of Ballia on the phone a few months ago and she introduced him to Veronica, who started persuading him to invest in the stock market to incur huge profit. She also claimed to be the niece of the Prime Minister.

After convincing him to invest, Veronica asked the retired colonel to transfer cash to the bank account of one Ramesh Sharma.

As per their conversation, he transferred Rs 21 lakh to Sharma's account. When he sought returns, Veronica sent a fake cheque of Rs 18 lakh on WhatsApp and then disappeared. After that, she never contacted the colonel and when he tried to contact is stopped taking his call.

Earlier in March, a Gujarati man, who posed as Additional Director, Strategy and Campaigns, at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in New Delhi, was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police in Srinagar.

The imposter, identified as Kiran Patel, enjoyed Z-plus security cover, a bulletproof SUV and official accommodation at a five-star hotel in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the administration for a ride.